Italian Walnut Savonarola Chair

An Italian Renaissance walnut Savonarola chair dating to the mid-16th century. Constructed in the traditional sedia a forbice (scissor-chair) form, the chair is composed of a series of deeply curved interlocking walnut slats terminating in shaped sledge feet and supporting a slatted seat. The scrolling arms are centred by carved rosette roundels, while the shaped crest rail retains its original Renaissance profile and carved escutcheon ornament.

As is common with furniture of this antiquity, the chair has undergone sympathetic restoration. The sledge feet have been replaced, several seat slats renewed, and the back panel, originally removable, has been fixed in position to ensure structural stability. Despite these interventions, the principal framework and the great majority of the surviving fabric remain period, preserving the chair’s historic integrity and sculptural Renaissance character.